Danny Gatton tone pot mod! How it is possible?

[Avraxas]

If you look at this video at about 12:00 Danny use the tone pot to produce an effect. The weird think is that his pot "works” from 1 to 3 and then from 3 to 10 does nothing! I mean no effect to the tone after 3. Can anyone understand the mod?

For sure there is not the mod that you can find on the internet with 2 capacitors I believe. Cause the internet mod "split" the tone at the half and works like 5-0-5.

Any thoughts?

[Latole]

At 12:53

In my opinion, it looks like a linear B potentiometer for the tone: the linear potentiometer “gives” its maximum in the very first values, which would explain why from 3 onwards, the tone doesn't appear to change.

According to my research, the usual potentiometers (volume and tone) on a Telecaster are type A logarithmic. This is why volume and tone have a sensed operating range of 1 to 10. Not 1 to 3.

That's the only explanation I can think of.

It's possible that the ohms value of the potentiometer may also contribute slightly.

[Avraxas]

You mean Audio Log pot I think

[pdf64]

You mean Audio Log pot I think

No.

his pot "works” from 1 to 3 and then from 3 to 10 does nothing!

That indicates a linear taper tone pot.

[Latole]

You mean Audio Log pot I think

In the video, in my opinion, the tone potentiometer, which would normally be a logarithmic A, has been replaced by a linear B.

[Avraxas]

I am so confused. I am talking about 12:30 and about the tone pot only. Not the volume pot. Can’t be a linear pot. This pot it’s not change resistance in equal steps.

[Latole]

I am so confused. I am talking about 12:30 and about the tone pot only. Not the volume pot. Can’t be a linear pot. This pot it’s not change resistance in equal steps.

I alway talk about tone pot .
You did not know what is and how work linear pot. 

[Avraxas]

Yes maybe is that but looking at this graph looks like that the higher resistance at 3 have the revesed Log Pot. I am mean, Dannys tone pot it is not correct that at 3 have the almost maximum resistance to be able to get that effect? And from 3 to 10 blend a very small amount of resistance.

 Can anyone explane please?

[pdf64]

People learn by experience, I suggest that the best way to understand this stuff is to buy some good pots in the various tapers and experiment.

[G._Hoffman]

At 12:53

In my opinion, it looks like a linear B potentiometer for the tone: the linear potentiometer “gives” its maximum in the very first values, which would explain why from 3 onwards, the tone doesn't appear to change.

According to my research, the usual potentiometers (volume and tone) on a Telecaster are type A logarithmic. This is why volume and tone have a sensed operating range of 1 to 10. Not 1 to 3.

That's the only explanation I can think of.

It's possible that the ohms value of the potentiometer may also contribute slightly.

Honestly, it could even be a reverse audio taper - that seems extreme for a linear taper pot. 

[Latole]

At 12:53

In my opinion, it looks like a linear B potentiometer for the tone: the linear potentiometer “gives” its maximum in the very first values, which would explain why from 3 onwards, the tone doesn't appear to change.

According to my research, the usual potentiometers (volume and tone) on a Telecaster are type A logarithmic. This is why volume and tone have a sensed operating range of 1 to 10. Not 1 to 3.

That's the only explanation I can think of.

It's possible that the ohms value of the potentiometer may also contribute slightly.

Honestly, it could even be a reverse audio taper - that seems extreme for a linear taper pot.

Google ;

What is a reverse audio taper potentiometer?

A 'normal' audio pot wired backwards will have it's 'adjustment direction' reversed, but will have it's range compressed into a small fraction of the turn,

 but a 'reverse' audio pot wired backwards will have it's 'adjustment direction' reversed, but will not have it's range compressed into a fraction of its' turn.

[Rontone]

I tried this years ago on a Fender Japan '52 Tele, a 1meg linear taper tone pot, I cannot remember the cap value, I think a 0.05 possibly

It sure helped sell it on eBay!

On Danny's "Telemaster - Hot Licks" tutorial video, [also about the 12 minute mark] he mentions his pot setup but no values,

I cant quite make out all he says ["the mumbler"] but its something close to:-



"its very important to have a volume pot, that has extremely even gain, the one I have in here isn't the best I've had in my life, but it beats the last one!.....

…..you'll notice the gain is pretty even, the tone pot is exactly the opposite, the tone pot goes from 0-3 and its wide open, like from 3 up it doesn't do anything at all, its negligible what happens.....

.....the drawback of having this kind of tone pot is that if you're playing a jazz gig for instance then you really are trying to find a nice jazz tone but its very sensitive, the area where the tone is gonna be...."


I see a few wiring diagrams for lap steel guitars that come with a 1Meg linear and 0.05 cap and some steel guitar forum posts that suggest some are using 1 meg tone pots

[G._Hoffman]

At 12:53

In my opinion, it looks like a linear B potentiometer for the tone: the linear potentiometer “gives” its maximum in the very first values, which would explain why from 3 onwards, the tone doesn't appear to change.

According to my research, the usual potentiometers (volume and tone) on a Telecaster are type A logarithmic. This is why volume and tone have a sensed operating range of 1 to 10. Not 1 to 3.

That's the only explanation I can think of.

It's possible that the ohms value of the potentiometer may also contribute slightly.

Honestly, it could even be a reverse audio taper - that seems extreme for a linear taper pot.

Google ;

What is a reverse audio taper potentiometer?

A 'normal' audio pot wired backwards will have it's 'adjustment direction' reversed, but will have it's range compressed into a small fraction of the turn,

 but a 'reverse' audio pot wired backwards will have it's 'adjustment direction' reversed, but will not have it's range compressed into a fraction of its' turn.

But a reverse taper audio pot wired normally would have all it's range bunched up at the bottom of rotation, allowing it to be more easily used for this sort of effect.